Pneumatic conveyer for fodder or ensilage cutters.



No. 640,861. Patented Jan. 9, I900.

L. s. BEDFOBD. PNEUMATIC CONVEYER FOR. FODDER OR ENSILAGE CUTTERS.

(Application file 2 SheetsSheet I.

(No Model.)

' No. 640,86l. atented Ian. 9, 1900.-

L. s. BEDFORD. PNEUMATIC CUNVEYER FOR FODDER 0R ENSILAGE CUTTERS.

(Application filed Apr. 8, 1899.\

2 sheets -sheet 2.

(No Model.)

wwwwzea UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEMUEL S. BEDFORD, OF MILLVIEW, PENNSYLVANIA.

PNEUMATIC CONVEYER FOR FODDER OR ENSILAGE CUTTERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,861, dated January 9, 1900.

Application filed April 8. 1899. Serial No. 712,265. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, LEMUEL S. BEDFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Millview, in the county of Sullivan and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Conveyers for Fodder or Ensilage Cutters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention combines, with a fodder or ensilage cutter, novel means for conveying the feed from thecutter to the required point of discharge,said means operating by the combined action of vacuum-pressure produced by suction and compression resulting from the high rotation of a fan in a casing.

The invention consists of the novel features and details of construction referred to more particularly hereinafter, claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of the invention applied. Fig. 2 is a detail section. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the conveyer. Fig. 4 is a section at right angles to' Fig. 3. Fig. 5

is a detail view of the joint connection between conveyer-sections. Fig. 6 is a section on the line X X of Fig. 5,1ooking in the direction of the arrow.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The feed-cutter 1 is of ordinary construction and is shown to illustrate the application of the invention. The coworking parts are housed, and the housing 2 forms a part of the box or closure for the feed, the feeding mech anism being materially assisted by the vacuum or suction of the conveyermechanism.

The box 3 is located at the delivery end of the machine and is of oblong form and extends the full width thereof. This box is attached to the lower portion of the cutterframe, and the chute 4 closes the upper rear side of the throat.

and is the discharge for the feed. A fan- The front wall 5 ofthe throat connects with the housing 2, and this blower 8 is applied to the end of the box having the opening 7.

The casing of the fan-blower consists of heads 9 and 10 and a curb 11, the outer head 10 being solid and the inner head 9 having an opening to register with the opening 7. A shaft 12 extends through the box 3 and fancasing, and the fan 13 is mounted upon one end thereof. The shaft projects at one end and a band-pulley 14 is applied to the projecting end and is driven from the main shaft of the cutter or any convenient moving part by means of the belt 15. The fan consists of a sleeve or hub 16, secured to the shaft 12, arms 17,attached to the sleeve,and blades 18, applied to one side of the arms 17 and extending outward from the hub.

The conveyer 19 is a pipe or tube of desired length and connects with the curb 11. Any number of sections may enter into the formation of the conveyer, and they maybe straight or curved and secured together in any desired manner. The outermost section 20 is elbowshaped and is adapted to be turned to discharge the feed in any desired direction. An outer flange 21 is formed at the end of the section adjacent to the elbow 20, and a bell or flaring portion 22 is formed at the inner end of the said elbow to snugly embrace the flange 21. Any desired number of plates 23 are eccentrically mounted upon binding-screws 24:, threaded into the edge of the bell 22, and can be turned so as to overlap the flange 21 and hold the elbow 20 in an adjusted position. Upon loosening the screws 24 the elbow can be turned to any position, and upon retightening them the part 20 is held fast in the required position. The plates can be turned upon the screws 24 so as to clear the flange 21, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 5, thereby permitting the elbow 20 to be removed. The parts 21 and 22 may be applied to either of the matching ends and constitute a joint applicable to any of the sections of the con veyer.

The fodder, ensilage, or other feed to be out is fed to the cutter in the usual manner and after passing through the cutting mechanism is received into the box 3. The fan being set in motion forces an outward current of air through the conveyer 1 9 and creates a suction or Vacuum in the box, which draws the feed therefrom. The air rushes into the box 3 through the throat and space formed between the housing 2 and the bottom of the cutter. This inrush of air facilitates the feeding of the fodder or the like, and the strong draft created through the box, fan, and conveyer carries the feed to the required point of discharge.

Within the scope of the invention changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A feed-cutter having a housing applied to the upper rear portion of the frame and acting jointly therewith to inclose the feeding and cutting mechanisms with the exception of opposite ingress and egress openings, an oblong box attached to the lower portion of the frame and having an opening in one end and in the upper rear portion ofits top side, a throat connecting the egress-opening of the machine with the opening in the top side of thebox and comprising end walls, a rear wall or chute joined to the bottom of the feed-cutter in advance of the cutting mechanism and a front Wall, the latter connecting at its upper end with the housing and at its lower end with the box, a fan-blower having a conveyor attached thereto and having an opening in its inner head to register with'the opening in the end of the box to which it is attached, a shaft extending through the box and fan-casing and journaled at one end in the outer head of said fan-casing and at its opposite end in the remote end wall of the box, the fan being secured to an end portion of the shaft and the latter having its opposite end extended beyond the box and provided with a pulley, and a drive-belt connecting the said pulley with a moving part of themachine, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEMUEL S. BEDFORD. 

